The modern concept of sea bathing was first popularized by Dr. Richard Russell,
who promoted the activity on the Brighton beachfront in 18th-century England.
In Europe, the history of ocean utilization dates back to the era of Hippocrates,
the \“father of medicine”, in ancient Greece. While the initial reasons for using
the ocean were related to regaining physical health, activities related to
swimming have since diversified to include marine sports such as surfing and
personal water craft (PWC) activities. A questionnaire survey on the utilization
of beaches for swimming was conducted on beach users in Japan. The
questionnaire administered to beach users included items on the reasons for
using beaches, the amount of time spent swimming, the proportion of users
renting beach houses, the safety of areas dedicated to swimming, and the
coexistence of swimmers, surfers, and PWC users. The principal findings of the
questionnaire survey were as follows: (1) Locations used for swimming could be
classified as being one of three types: (a) day visitors (over 60% of beach users);
(b) visitors staying for a few days (10–60% of beach users); (c) long-term
visitors (10% of beach users). (2) Swimming was the most popular activity,
followed by surfing and PWC activities. (3) Visitors in their 20s were the most
numerous, followed by visitors in their 30s and teenagers. (4) Users of beach
houses primarily engaged in PWC activities, followed by swimming. (5)
Approximately 60% of beach users supported the coexistence of swimming,
surfing, and PWC activities. (6) The survey of beach user satisfaction elucidated
the following findings: (a) Users were satisfied with beaches as places to
alleviate stress and to enjoy open spaces. (b) Users were dissatisfied with
littering and water pollution.
Keywords: sea bathing, marine leisure, marine sport, swimming, surfing, safety.